Reese's Chocolate Cookies

Sometimes I honestly think I have the most random memory ever. A lot of my memories are with my older sister, Lauren. We were best buds growing up...I remember as a child randomly burying my Dad's new Sunday shoes with her one time, and reading the Rainbow-Fish book together, admiring the sparkling fish, and stubbing my toe on a sprinkler while she ran in and got Mom, and microwaving eggs with her...I also remember making these cookies with my sister and eating the cookie dough sneakily. These were her favorite growing up, and now I think of Lauren every time I make them.

2 cups Sugar
1 1/4 cups Butter
2 eggs
1 Tbl. Vanilla

Cream mixture well, then add:

2 cups Flour
3/4 cup Cocoa
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt

Mix again, then stir in:

1 2/3 cups Reese's Chips (10 oz. package)

Bake at 350 for 8 minutes.

Homemade Oreo's

I have to admit that growing up I was spoiled. It has forever scarred me for life...for example, I don't like store bought cookies, why? Because I got to have the real stuff any time I wanted, and I learned how to make the good stuff at an early age. Oh how I wish I could just like those hard, processed, fake-cream-in-the-center cookies, but after having these homemade Oreo Cookies, I don't think I will ever be able to go back. The only bad thing about these cookies is that they disappear too fast, and since they're two-cookies in one you don't feel bad about eating 3 until you realize you really just ate 6 single cookies with frosting to top it off! Beware, these are addicting, and super easy.

2 Devil's Food Cake mixes
1 1/3 cups Shortening/Crisco
4 Eggs
1 Tbl. Vanilla

Mix very well, then scoop dough into small balls.
Bake at 350 for 9 minutes. Let cool completely.

Meanwhile make the Frosting:

4 cups Powdered Sugar
8 oz. Cream Cheese
1/2 cup Butter

Cream ingredients to make frosting. Sometimes I like to add a little Peppermint Extact to the frosting to make Mint Oreos, it's fun to add a little Green Food-Coloring to the frosting as well. Last year, for example, I made these with the mint and green coloring for my boyfriend at the time on St. Patricks Day, it was cute.

After cookies are cooled and frosting is made, I frost the bottom of one cookie, and place another cookie on top, making oreo's!

No-Bake Cookies

aka Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal cookies. These cookies are one of my favorites and bring back so many memories! These were the first kind of cookies I ever made...I only remember because I burned the pan and spent hours trying to clean it! I love how quick and simple these cookies are, and they are always gone so fast! And seriously, what better combo is there? chocolate, peanut butter, and oats is heavenly in my eyes. I hope you like these as much as I do!

In a big saucepan mix:
2 cups White Sugar
2 1/2 Tbl. Baking Cocoa
1/2 cup Milk
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 cup Butter

Bring mixture to a boil, while stirring the entire time. After it comes to a rolling boil remove from heat! (This is where I messed up when I was a kid...I left it on the heat and burned the sugar to the bottom of the pan, it was no fun)

After removing mixture from heat add:

2 tsp. Vanilla
1 cup Peanut Butter (I always add a little less-1 Tbl)
3 cups Uncooked Quick Oatmeal-not the rolled oats
(I usually get the peanut butter and oatmeal all measured and set aside before even boiling the other mixture, that way I can quickly add them to the hot mixture and it comes together great!)

Stir all together and scoop onto foil or wax paper. Let cool and enjoy!

Toffee Pecan Cookies

If I had to only have one more kind of cookie for the rest of my life I would without a doubt choose this one. It is my ultimate favorite! Not only are the cookies amazing, but the cookie dough is fabulous as well. I discovered this recipe last spring, and since then have made it so many times! It has always turned out so well and is one I'll never get sick of. My mom found this recipe on the baking blonde, and asked me to make it for some of her friends. It has been my favorite ever since. I hope you enjoy it!

1/4 cup Butter, softened
1/4 cup Shortening/Crisco (I use butter-flavored)
2 cups Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1 Tbl. Vanilla

Cream ingredients together very well!
Then add:

3 cups Flour
1 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 1/2 tsp. Cream of Tartar
1/4 tsp. Salt

Mix very well, the dough will be very pretty and light brown, then stir in:

1 cup Heath Toffee Bits
1/2 cup chopped and toasted Pecans-I just chop the pecans, put them in a pie tin and stick them in the oven while it's pre-heating. Make sure you stir them around every 5 minutes or so and pull them out when they're golden and smell really good.

Scoop dough into balls, I roll mine too.
Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. They will be puffy and golden, make sure you don't over bake them! They will harden up a bit with time.

You can chill the dough as well, it turns out great either way. And now I'm craving them so bad! I seriously wonder sometimes why I'm not fat. I guess it's a good thing that I like to deliver cookies to friends and that I have roommates to help me eat them :D

Oatmeal Cookies

Last night I decided I wanted to make these cookies, and they tasted so good! I've been looking for the perfect oatmeal cookie, and I think I may have found it. I found this recipe on smitten kitchen, and modified it a bit, so I hope you enjoy it! I did not add raisins to mine because I did not have any and didn't want to go to the store, but I'm sure they'd be wonderful with them!

1/2 cup Butter, softened-make sure it's not melted!
2/3 cup Brown sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp. Vanilla

Mix these well, so they are all creamed together.
Then add:

3/4 cup Flour
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Salt

Mix well again.
Last of all add the most important/best part:

1 3/4 cup Rolled Oats, don't use quick oats
3/4 cup Raisins-optional

Make sure they are well stirred together, then refridgerate/chill. I let mine chill for at least 30 minutes, but more time would do no harm :)

Scoop onto a cookie tray, make sure you leave plenty of room between them, they will spread!
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes

Do not be worried if they spread a ton and don't look perfect. They will taste great! I pull mine out when the edges look golden brown, and the center still looks a little doughy, let them sit on the pan for a few mintutes after pulling them out of the oven as well.

These cookies are chewy and soft, they are a little more of a flat cookie, but I can't think of an oatmeal cookie that tastes better!
--update: I made these last night and added an extra 2 Tbl. oats, 1/2 cup boiled raisins, and 1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans and they were amazing and looked beautiful as well! Hope you like them too :)

Chocolate Rolo Cookies

When it comes to cooking, I'm all about finding simple recipes that taste divine, this is definitely one of those! These cookies are basically fool proof, and are so much fun! Not only do I stick to the traditional recipe, but I like to mix this one up. For example, one time I had a chocolate cake mix on hand, but no rolos. All of my friends wanted chocolate cookies, so I decided to make the cookie dough from this recipe and add Ande's Mint Chips to the dough, oh my it was so good! Another time I didn't have chocolate cake mix, but I had the funfetti one, with rainbow dots and rainbow dot frosting. I made cookies out of the cake mix and then frosted the cookies, and they were amazing! This is a fun recipe good for any occasion. What I love about the original recipe is the carmel surprise in the middle! I hope you like it!

1 Chocolate Cake Mix
2 Eggs
1/3 cup Oil-I use Canola
23 rolos

Mix the cake mix, eggs, and oil very well-I beat this one good! The dough almost turns a lighter brown color and feels really soft. It is a beautiful dough-and tastes really really good!
Scoop the dough into balls-I use my cookie scoop-and then press a rolo in the middle and roll the dough around the edges, so you can't see the rolo at all and it's a perfect ball. Place on the cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 for 8 minutes
These may be a little doughy in the center when you pull them out, but after cooling they will be perfect! I like to sprinkle powdered sugar on top, but it's not a necessity. I usually double this recipe because they vanish so fast :)

the BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies ever!

I have to start out with my best, most requested recipe first of course! I got this recipe from my dear friend Whitney, and modified it a little to make it more my style. I have made these cookies countless times, and I still love them with all my heart. The nice thing about these is that the dough is great, you can add any kind of chips to them, and the cookies last and stay soft for days. Hopefully they turn out just as well for you! Some of my tips include: use BUTTER! do not use margarine-margarine is gross, you've gotta use the good stuff. I also use Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Chips in my cookies, and real vanilla-I like Watkins best :) I have also made these cookies with Reese's Peanut Butter Chips, Ghirardelli White Chocolate Chips, milk chocolate and Heath toffee chips, and Ande's Mint Chips. They turn out beautifully every single time. Let me know if you have any questions!

3/4 cup White Sugar
3/4 cup Brown Sugar-packed
3/4 cup softened Butter, make sure it's not melted

Mix sugars and butter with a spoon until creamy and light in color. I stir it kinda fast/whip it(I always mix this recipe by hand-I've never actually used a mixer because it turns out so well by hand)

add:
1 Egg
2 tsp. Vanilla
Mix well again with spoon

In seperate bowl mix:
2 1/4 cup Flour-measure exactly
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt-I always add a little less

Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, mix a few times with the spoon and then dig in! This is my favorite part...I of course make sure my hands are clean, and then I mix the dough with my hands, sqeezing and releasing until it is a beautiful, completely mixed dough. I then add the chips of my choice, usually around 1 cup, and mix it some more. After eating a few spoon-fulls I use my handy cookie scoop and make 15 cookies per baking sheet.

Bake at 375 for 8 minutes

8 minutes is always the perfect time for me with these ones, you want to make sure they're a little golden, but do not over bake them, I personally like my cookies to be soft, and when you pull these out they make look a little doughy in the center, but after a few hours they will be solid and soft and perfect!
Hope they turn out for you!
PS this recipe turns out great if you double it too.